Facebook Considering Dual-Coast IPO Open

With its public company debut just a week away, Facebook is considering several different scenarios for its opening bell festivities, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Those plans could include a rare opening that incorporates both East and West coasts, said these people. Facebook has been actively discussing its options with the officials from the Nasdaq, and a final plan is expected to be hammered out sometime early next week, these people added.

While a dual-coast scenario is still being discussed, the company’s Menlo Park headquarters will be central to the action; plans to utilize a New York location like the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square are still being hammered out, these people said.

One thing is clear: Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is planning to celebrate from the company’s sprawling Willow Road campus, these people confirmed.

Ringing the opening bell remotely is not without recent precedent, particularly for a high-profile social company. In December, Zynga rang the opening bell from inside its Silicon Valley offices — a decision that wasn’t put in motion until extremely late in the listing process, according to a person familiar with the company’s IPO.

Facebook is expected to price its IPO on Thursday, with trading to begin under the ticker “FB” on the Nasdaq the follow day.